ENTRY IN DHOTAMA.
REDDAN
(Compiled by Luke Reddan, grandson of Michael Simon Reddan on 11-1-1997.)
John Reddan travelled to Australia on the ?Arabia? which arrived in Melbourne in October 1860. He came from Ryan, Mullagh (near Miltown Malbay) in County Clare, Ireland.

John was joined in Victoria by his brother Michael who arrived in November 1863. It is understood that two sisters also migrated to Australia- one being Johannah who married a Faithful and the other being Mary who married a Markham. Family remaining in Ireland apparently included two brothers, James and Patrick.

On 11-1-1870, at St. Francis Church, Melbourne, John Reddan married Ellen Geary, who had arrived in Victoria from County Clare on the ?Bates Family? in about June 1863.

John signed his marriage certificate with an X and probably never learnt to read or write. However, by 28-7-1871 he had earned enough money to buy two blocks of land ( Crown Allotments 5 and 6, Parish of Bulla) adjoining the south side of the Township of Bulla. These blocks consisted of 3.6 hectares (8.9 acres) and 5.1 hectares (12.7 acres). On 14-2-1876, John purchased Allotment 1, Section 16 of the Parish of Holden ( 21.2 Hect. or 52.4 ac.) on the opposite side of the Bulla- Diggers Rest Rd. from Holden View ( Allotment 5, 21.5 hect. or 53.15 ac.) which was bought by his brother Michael on 17-1-1876.

John spent his life farming near Bulla. He had a thick, bushy beard and participated in local events such as the turn of the century ball at Caloola. He died on 19-9-1909 at Holden View at 75 according to the death certificate but other records indicate that he may have been younger. Ellen died at 82 on 30-10-1927.

John?s brother Michael, also a farmer, built the 1870 bluestone school in School Lane ( which replaced the original school on the Sunbury side of the bridge next to Tulip Wright?s inn). He married Sarah Dale (?) in 1871 and had two sons, James Michael (d. 1906 at 37) and Michael Jnr. (d. 1888 at 14.) Michael outlived both his sons, dying on 5-1-1907 at between 64 and 68 while Sarah died in 1911 at 80.

Michael (1873-1965) m. Margaret Gilligan (1880- 1938) and their children were:
A. Eileen ? unmarried, 1906-1992.
B. Annie (1908-1983)- m. Vincent Frewen (1909-73). Children: Vincent,Michael, Kevin, Mary.
C. John (1910-1980)- m. Irene Shanley. Children: John, Marie, Joan, Patricia.
D. Martin (1912-1995) m. Eileen Perrott. Children: Carmel, Bryan, Dennis.
E. Michael m. Mary Fox (1915- 1995). Children: Margaret, John, Leo, Michael, Gerald, Mary Rose, Frances.
F. Thomas m. Rose Fox. Children: Mary Gemma and Luke.
G. Bernard m. Noreen Toohey. Children: Pauline, Bernadette and Patricia.
H. Mary (1921-1993) m. Robert Wordsworth. Children: Laurence, Carmel, Brian, Anne Therese and Margaret (who married Colin Craddock ).
DETAILS OF THE NEXT GENERATION AVAILABLE FROM BRIAN REDDAN OF KEALBA.
The notice of the marriage of Michael Reddan and Margaret Gilligan was in the Sunbury News of 31-10-1903. It mentioned that the young couple would settle at Victoria Banks; this should be Victoria Bank, a 93 acre farm on the north side of Barbiston Rd, adjoining "Aucholzie". Michael managed Aucholzie for butcher, R.J.Gilbertson, but due to not having my notes any longer, I can't be sure whether it was in this period or when he later owned "Seafield"; I suspect the latter because I think Ritchies still owned Aucholzie. In any case they might have changed their mind or stayed only a year on Victoria Bank because their oldest child, Eileen, told me nothing about it.

Reddan, Fox, Gilligan and Frewen farms.
Reddan.
Holden View.
Section 16 of the parish of Holden is north of the Bulla-Diggers Rest Road from Duncans Lane in the west to Jacksons Creek which forms its eastern boundary. It was originally divided into five lots (A,B,C,D and E) with lot E being designated ?Reserve for Wood?. As in the case of section 1, Yuroke, which was designated ?Timber Reserve?, lot E seems to have been sold in the mid 1870?s. I am almost certain that it was sold in 8 lots of roughly 53 acres. Bernie Reddan told me that Holden View was between the road (from the bridge to Dickins Corner) and Jacksons Creek with an easterly extension of the E-W section of the road forming the boundary between Holden View and Dickins? Coldingham Lodge to the south. In 1879, Michael and John Reddan both had land in Holden with nett annual values of 20 pounds and in 1891, Michael owned a house and 54 acres (N.A.V 25 pounds) and was leasing 53 acres (N.A.V. 20) from S.Callanan. John owned 53 acres; he must have been living in his house in Bulla Township, probably on lot 5 or 6 between the south end of Rawdon St. and Glenara.

By 1922-3, Ellen and Patrick Reddan owned a house and 105 acres (lots 1 and 5) and 52 acres (lot 4).
In 1946-7, the owners of Holden View were Margaret and Eveleen Reddan and it now consisted of lots 1,4,5 (house and 158 acres) and lots 6 and 7 (106 ? acres), a total of 264 ? of the 424 acres that I assume the former wood reserve consisted of. The eastern boundary of lot E is indicated by the section of the road which runs due (magnetic) north from Dickins corner so the remaining 159 ? acres (lots 2,3,8?) must have been north -west of the road where it climbs the steep hill. (LOT 5 WAS ON THE N/W SIDE OF THE ROAD ACCORDING TO LUKE REDDAN.)

LOTS 5 & 6, BULLA TOWNSHIP.
This land was in Melway 176,B/9. Its northern boundary is indicated by the south ends of Rawdon and Coghill Sts. with southern extensions of Greene St. and Coghill St. being the west and east boundaries. Rawdon St. indicates the boundary between lots 6 and 5, which consisted of 12 71/160 acres and 8 145/160 acres respectively. By 1891, John Reddan owned a house and land in Bulla (Main Deep Creek Rd. Subdivision) which had a N.A.V. of 25 pounds and was probably lots 5 and 6. He was also leasing from G.W.Taylor, a speculator who had bought much land near Bulla and Broadmeadows Rds. in the certainty that his mate Tommy Bent would use the public coffers to build a branch railway to both towns, blocks of 43 and 13 acres, which were probably just north or east of Dean?s Hotel (cnr. Wildwood and Bulla Rds.)
In 1914-5, Ellen, Patrick and James Reddan were the owners of 24 acres and a closed road. This would have been lots 6 and 5 (21 56/160 acres) plus, probably, the 5 128/160 acres of lot 4 between lot 5 and Glenara Drive. By 1922-3, Ellen and Patrick (or Mrs John Reddan, which the rate collector wrote) were assessed on twenty SIX acres which supports my theory that Alister Clark sold lot 4 to the Reddans when he bought Glenara from his father?s estate in 1891.

MICHAEL?S TOWNSHIP BLOCK AND 11 ? ACRES.
The 1879 rates show that Michael Reddan, farmer, owned land in Bulla (n.a.v. 6 and 1 pounds). The Bulla Township map indicates that Michael was the original purchaser of lot 10 in section 16 of the township and in 1891 it was specified that Michael owned this lot whose n.a.v. was still 1 pound. Section 16, consisting of the typical ten equally-sized blocks of apparently ? acre, is bounded by Greene, Cahill, Rawdon and Bourke Sts. and lot 10 at the eastern end had frontages to the last three. The 1914-5 ratebook records the owner as the executors of the late Michael Reddan. In 1922-3 lots 1-9 of section 16 were owned by Martin Cahill and, because time restraints caused me to record only holdings of about 10 acres or more after Mc., I don?t know who had lot 10, but it was probably still the Reddans.

Michael?s land (n.a.v. 6 pounds) which he owned by 1879 was probably the land (11 ? acres, n.a.v. 6 pounds) that he was leasing from G.W.Taylor in 1891. The only block of about 11 ? acres in the township was 11 acres 2 roods 2 perches being suburban lot 10 bounded by Greene St. and Felspar St. with a northern boundary running due west from the western end of Cahill St. The Shire Hall is on this block whose ownership would have reverted to Michael in a year or so when Taylor became bankrupt.

MICHAEL SIMON REDDAN?S TULLAMARINE FARMS.
As stated in ?Proclamation of the City of Keilor?(1961), ?Fifty eight years ago he married and brought his young bride to live in Tullamarine. Three years later he bought 200 acres and began to grow hay and oats.
His daughter, Eileen, told me that the Tullamarine farms were, in order, Payne?s, Brightview, Hillside and Seafield. Going by the above, they were on Payne?s ?Scone? (Melway 5,C/6) about 1903-6, during which time Eileen?s best friend was Etty (Henrietta) Johnson of Glendewar. The corners of this 82 acre triangular farm, which was at the s/w corner of section 15, Tullamarine, are indicated by the bend in Melrose Dr. which was the Bulla Rd./ Grants Lane corner, gates 33&34 and Qantas valet parking at the north end of the terminal.
Eileen said that they then spent about 20 years on Brightview (15,F/1) which consisted of 200 or 202 acres, depending on the source, and is that section of airport land north of Sharps Rd to the latitude of a midline between Janus St. and Catherine Ave., with an northerly extension of Keilor Park Dr. indicating its western boundary. This was later the Doyles? Ristaro. It was the western half of the southern 2/3 of section 3, Tullamarine. During this time Eileen?s friends included Molly, Eileen, Maurice, Kathleen, Joe and Mick Crotty of Broomfield directly across Sharps Rd. Together they would walk through the paddocks, probably following 15&5, F on Melway, on their way to state school 2613 on the Conders Lane (Link Rd.) corner.
Next, they leased Hillside, James Sharp?s old farm. This was originally 157 acres at the n/e corner of section 21, Doutta Galla whose eastern boundary is a southern extension of Broadmeadows Rd. However, as it consisted of 332 acres including the 8 acre homestead block when George Dalley was leasing it shortly afterwards, in 1930, it is fair to assume that the Reddans had the same acreage. This would have included the 87 68/160 acres of lot A in section 22 and 31 acres of lot f in section 22 near the Thomas St./ Parer Rd. corner in Airport West. Lot 22A was bounded by Sharps Rd., Bulla Rd., Dromana Ave., and a southern extension of Broadmeadows Rd. It today includes the sites of Caterpillar, SCI and K Mart. As it has been mentioned that they were on Hillside at the time the Albion-Jacana railway was being built, and the trestle bridges were built in 1928, I would guess that the Reddans were here about 1925-7. During this time, the hay grew so well that a cart could scarcely be driven between the sheaves to load them, according to Joe Crotty.
Keilor Shire?s 1930 rate records show that M.Reddan owned a stone house and 391 acres. This was Seafield, the northern half of section 8, Tullamarine. No details had changed in 1943 but by 1956-7 Seafield had grown by 10 acres and Bernie Reddan was assessed on the house on Aucholzie which he was managing for Gilbertsons. When Seafield (Lot 21, Reddan) was bought for airport purposes in about 1960, it consisted of 325 acres. The missing 76 acres was the Seafield River Frontage at the south corner of McNabs and Barbiston Rds. which had been part of John Grant?s Seafield before the old Seafield school closed in 1884. One of Eileen Reddan?s memories of the property was swimming in the huge dam. As there is a virtual forest of deciduous trees near the McNabs/Grants Rd. corner, I wouldn?t mind betting there would have been the odd game of hide and seek too.
The bluestone house, a photo of which I?d like to include in ?Tullamarine Memories? for the 2000 Back To Tullamarine, was just south of Incinerator Rd and the McNabs used to go past it to get to the tree-lined (still) Oakbank drive. It might seem strange to pass through another farm to get to your own but the Oakbank entrance from McNabs Rd. could only be used in dry weather and Seafield?s founder was related to the McNabs. I suppose continued Oakbank access was a condition of purchase.
Keith McNab said that Mick Reddan bought Seafield from Jim Kennedy and a Mr English.
Seafield?s boundaries were Grants Rd. (N) indicated at the west end by Incinerator Rd., a line joining gates 33-34 and 23 (E), an easterly extension of the northernmost boundary of the Tullamarine Country Club (S) and McNabs Rd. (W). The acquisition map shows that the Seafield dam was at the start of a gully right near the west side of Operations Rd. and about 70 metres N.N.W. of the house.
Bernie Reddan remained on Gilbertson?s Aucholzie as manager well into the 1970?s.

The Reddans were related by marriage to the Fox, Gilligan and Frewen families, also the Wordsworths.
FOX FARMS.
In Tullamarine, Michael Fox and his sons farmed Barbiston, on the south side of Barbiston Rd (164 acres, lot b of section 9, Tullamarine), Geraghty?s Paddock (120 acres, lot 9 of Arundel Closer settlement with the start of Steele Creek at its S.E. corner) and lots 1 and 2 (127 acres west of McNabs Rd. and with its north boundary just north of the Arundel Rd. junction with that road.
Michael Fox was also a big landowner further south. In 1900-1, he owned lots c and d of section 18, Doutta Galla consisting of 344 acres and bounded by Keilor Rd., Rachelle Rd., Clarks Rd. and Webber Rd. He also owned lot 45b of section 19 south east of Keilor cemetery. Later his sons leased Oakley Park (the part of Brimbank Park south of the transmission lines) to spell dry cows. More in F volume of DHOTAMA and Before The Jetport.
FREWEN
The Frewens, related by marriage to the Fox family, have for many decades farmed the 32 acre lot 11 of the Arundel Closer Settlement which contains the quarry just west of the Arundel Creek bridge and extends west to the bottom of the Arundel Rd. hill near the river. It was on this property that James White found the famous Keilor Skull in 1940. Vincent Frewen from Moonee Ponds married Annie Elizabeth Reddan at St. Anne?s Church in Broadmeadows Township (Westmeadows) in 1935, just after he had obtained the position of manager of Arundel Farm, which he retained under the ownership of F.P.Smith till 1949 and W.S.Robinson till 1962. Vincent, who bought lot 11 from Dr.Bill O?Laughlan in the 1930?s,died on 24-5-1973 at 73 and Annie on 29-6- 1983 at 75. Their son, Vin, acquired a farm called Larapinta at Creightons Creek near Euroa. MORE ON F. 90-92.
GILLIGAN
The Gilligans? farm in Tullamarine was Camp Hill, later renamed Gowanbrae, which was 366 acres of lots 3 and 4 of section 4 of the parish of Tullamarine. It was east of the part of Melrose Drive between Malvern Ave. and Camp Hill Park near the Tangemere Ave. corner. Thomas and Augustine Gilligan had just sold Camp Hill to W.R.Morgan in 1912-3 having bought it from the Lonie Estate after 1900 when the Williamsons were leasing it from the Lonie executors. In THE SHIRE THAT TOOK OFF, Grant Aldous states that the Gilligans leased George Evans? famous Emu Bottom between 1880 and 1887. Most people of the past would have known the Gilligans best as residents of Oaklands Rd. Walter Clark who established Glenara in 1856 had bought land up Oaklands Rd. before his death and in 1882-3, Russell and Davis were leasing 1930 acres there as well as Glenara (1378 acres). It is known that Alister Clark purchased Glenara from his father?s Estate in 1891 and it was probably at the same time that W.D.Peter bought Dunalister and Augustine and Martin Gilligan bought the house and 385 acres on which they were assessed on 20-8-1891.They were also leasing 194 acres from Croker of Woodlands,which they owned by 1914-5. The 1922-3 rates show that Martin and Augustine had the same land, in section 4, although it had become 2 acres smaller, now 577! James Joseph, probably the bloke (D.1938) who refused the too-dangerous joyflight and was killed in a jinker accident on the way home from the Inverness, owned a house and 100 acres, lots 19 and 20 of section 4. Also, John Lawrence, probably the daredevil (D.1936) who rode his horse up the internal staircase of the Inverness and was killed jumping, well after dark, a fence, whose top rail was replaced without his knowledge, owned a house and lots 2 and 3 of section 8, consisting of 305 acres.
The 386 acres first mentioned was between Oaklands Rd. and the southern end of St Johns Lane and went north to a westerly extension of the south boundary of the Readymix quarry. The 194 acres leased from Croker(lots 9 and 10, section 8) was the southern 2/3 of the eastern half of section 8 (actually 193 128/168 acres) with the Inglis sales complex being part of lot 10 and the northern boundary of lot 9 almost directly across the road from the Balbethan (formerly Dunalister) entrance.
James Joseph Gilligan?s 100 acres (lots 19 and 20, section 4) consisted of two 50 acre blocks on the north side of Somerton Rd. with the eastern boundary about 16 metres west of directly across Somerton Rd from the Blackwells Rd.corner. It extended 533 metres to the east and 704 metres north. The farm was directly across Somerton Rd. from the Bulla Creamery, run by Mrs. Ralston, a widow and a hard taskmaster. At nightfall, her workers who had often jumped ship, would complain that the Gilligans? labourers across the road had finished while they were still toiling in the dark. ?Never mind,?she would reply, ?they might finish before you but you?ll start earlier than they will in the morning!? (Bob Blackwell)
John Gilligan?s 305 acres in section 8 would have been lots 3 and 11 of the Glenara estate, being the western half of section 8 and consisting of 305 ? acres and owned at some stage by Powderley. This had a frontage to St. Johns Rd. and included the present Benbullen Stud and Nos. 70-120 along this road. It extended halfway (1/2 mile) to Oaklands Rd.
WORDSWORTH.
Harry Heaps lived at Sunnyside from 1923, arriving when he was 13. In about 1950, he moved to the other end of Wright St. (which is now called Springbank St. to prevent life-threatening confusion). He demolished a 100 year old house in which Mary Reddan?s husband had been born and where much-respected politician and historian extraordinaire, Sam Merrifield, had lived. Mary Reddan?s husband was Robert Wordsworth. In Broadmeadows? 1899-1900 rates, William Holdsworth, a greengrocer was recorded as the occupant of a house and land at Tullamarine (which had to be on the N.E. side of today?s Melrose Dr. and on the Tullamarine side of the now-closed Greenhill St.) I believe the rate collector had a slip of the mind and the greengrocer?s name was actually Wordsworth.

See BETHELL journal under TROVE re Michael Reddan being run over by a train at North Melbourne Station in JANUARY 1880.

Itellya is researching local history on the Mornington Peninsula and is willing to help family historians with information about the area between Somerville and Blairgowrie. He has extensive information about Henry Gomm of Somerville, Joseph Porta (Victoria's first bellows manufacturer) and Captain Adams of Rosebud.

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Comments

'Holden View' was no doubt in Section 16 Allotment E which was broken up into the blocks as decribed. If you reference -
http://www.nla.gov.au/apps/cdview?pi=nla.map-rm2741-98-sd&rgn=0.0687063875,0.2505258238,0.9275362319,1.2451507362&prevwidth=400&cmd=zoomin&x=275&y=225&width=1200
a map of the Parish of Holden you can check out the subdivision of Section 16.

The above map mentions 1908 but Clarke sold allotment A to a John Daly (who owned allotment B) in 1857.

POSTSCRIPT 26-9-2017 has been added at the end of the journal. It includes the birth records of Tommy and Bernard, sons of Michael and Margaret (Gilligan) Reddan, whose birth years were not included in Ann Craddock's information near the start of the journal. Keilor was probably the place where the births were registered. There is also a link to the photo of Tommy, aged about 14, catching the pig at the Oaklands Hunt (Steeplechase) event.